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9

1934 – Arrivals and Revelations

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"Move them here!" Eli insisted firmly. "We've another whole living space which hasn't been used since the Williams kids moved on and they'll be happy to have it lived in again. Bring your family here."

Mouse waited with bated breath to see what Jay would say. Since finishing his service with the CCC a couple of months ago, he had been working on and from the ranch full time, not only turning his hand to much needed repairs, but creating innovations in the ranch house plumbing which left everyone smiling. He was also putting to use the skills and knowledge he had gained in the CCC, had become a reasonably good rider in pretty quick order and, as he quipped, "begun to learn one damn' end of a llama from another!" He and Eli kept in contact with the CCC group at Mullen Creek, finding other workers job offers which required their specialized skills and also helping on several occasions with the fire-fighting duties the CCC carried out. In rare moments of free time, the two young men enjoyed a relaxing drink or several together in the saloon. But all this did not allow very frequent visits back to his family in Chicago and Mouse knew Jay was worried particularly about leaving Declan open to bad influences.

Jay was wide-eyed and speechless. Then he ducked his head sideways as he always did if very moved. When he finally spoke, his "Yes" was almost strangled by emotion.

No sooner had he uttered his consent than he was almost strangled by an enormous hug from Mouse. "I'm so glad! So very glad!"

Eli just looked at him and smiled a smile of deep affection and satisfaction.

Moving a city family to the middle of Wyoming was not, however, without its difficulties. Fortunately the young twins, Rory and Ryan, took to life on the ranch at once; in this they were ably educated by Thomas and Lucy, who were delighted to have more playmates. The four were soon inseparable.

The twins mother, Caitlin, became more relaxed as her children settled in, although almost everything in the countryside seemed potentially dangerous at first. Nonetheless, she maintained a calm and encouraging attitude about the twins' adventures, which suited her serene looks and temperament. Without any fuss, Caitlin applied herself quietly to learning the tasks which maintained the smooth domestic running of the ranch. She and Mouse took to each other at once, which was hardly surprising since Mouse was Jay's most fervent supporter and Caitlin loved him deeply for the unstinting care he had given to his family for so many years. This friendship gladdened Eli's heart. For himself, he could not believe anyone who had suffered the privations and rejections which had beset Caitlin could possibly still be so pure and loving. He was even more taken when he discovered her full name was Caitlin Áine and that the second name meant 'radiance'. Like Jay, she was a red-head and, with her deep auburn hair and liquid dark grey eyes, seemed, at least to Eli, just to glow. She was the radiance which drew him irresistibly.

While Eli was losing his heart Gramma, as she was affectionately known, established herself on the porch or, when the weather got colder, by whichever fire was brightest. Jay had warned them: "She sings tunelessly in Gaelic and makes love-rugs." This creative activity baffled the Shermans totally, but came into its own not long after Gramma had finished the first one.

The real problem was Declan. At first they all attributed his moodiness to being uprooted from what he had known all his life, combined with not unusual teenage angst. But when he kept close to Jay almost all the time, a small unhappy shadow who said little and was devoid of energy, it became obvious there was something deeper troubling him. Attempts on Jay's part to coax it out of him were unavailing until one day he saw Declan shudder as he crossed the yard.

"What is it?" Jay demanded in true 'you can't fool your big brother' tones. "What's frightening you?"

"Not frightened!" Declan snapped back immediately, but he clearly was. He shuddered again, then looked at his elder brother with anguish in his eyes. "I know you like it here but it's …"

"Not like Chicago?" Jay suggested with a twinkle in his eye. "You're right, it couldn't be more different, but it's a good place."

"It's a spooky place!" Declan burst out.

"Why d'you say that?"

"It's got a graveyard full of dead people hanging over it!"

"Oh. I see."

"And she's always sitting up there!" Declan's chin jerked towards his shoulder and, looking up, Jay saw Mouse sitting quite still on the grassy bank above them. He was so used to her habit that he never really gave it much thought until now.

"I don't think she'd sit up there if it was spooky," he said gently. "But if it worries you, let's go and ask her about it."

"OK." After a little hesitation, Declan grabbed Jay's hand in a way he hadn't done for years, but he did walk with him up the steep hillside path. Soon they were sitting beside Mouse on the bank.

"Declan wants to know why you sit up here in a spooky place full of dead people?" Jay said without any preamble.

"Oh, Declan!" Mouse flung her arms round him in a comforting hug. "It isn't spooky, it's full of love. And the dead people aren't here. They're free, living in light and joy."

"So why d'you come up here?" the boy demanded earnestly.

"Because I like to remember. I like to look at the headstones and remember why they have those words written on them and give thanks."

"Oh!" Declan pondered for a few minutes before obviously taking his courage in both hands. "So you aren't calling up the dead to come out and get us?"

"No, Declan. I believe they love us and look out for us, but they are not here. This is just the resting place of their bodies now that they don't need them any more."

More pondering was followed by the question: "Do you come up here for someone special?"

"They're all special in their own way, but yes – I come to remember Rebecca and her husband, Lance. She was my twin. I miss her very much, but when I look at the words we chose for her, I remember that when she died, she was living life to the full with the man she loved."

"Which is her?" Declan got up and tugged her hand.

"Here." Mouse led him to the gravestone carved with the words: 'They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles.'

"They were both very strong and very happy," Mouse told him quietly. "Come and look at the others too. They each tell a story of love."

They walked slowly along the row, the inscriptions getting fainter as the stones got older. Presently they stopped between Slim and Jess's grave.

"This one's got only one person," Declan pointed out. "Who was he?"

"A young man who came to the ranch alone and found a friend and a family who welcomed him. He met my grandfather, Matthew, and if Jess had not been killed very soon after, they would have been life-long friends."

"Like Iarlath and Elijah?" His use of their formal names reflected the seriousness with which Declan took such a relationship.

"Yeah. Hell, yeah!" Jay sounded as though it was a revelation and a promise to him both at once. "Except we're luckier, of course, 'cause we're both alive."

"Think of this as a place which strengthens life and encourages love," Mouse told them. And from that time onwards, Declan was able to settle down to just the normal ups and downs of teenage problems and challenges.

# # # # #

While everyone else had been busy settling in, learning new skills and tasks and above all how to work as a team, Gramma had been quietly sewing. No-one quite understood her technique, but it involved a great many scraps of colored fabric, wool and ribbon. This naturally made her bosom friends with the local dressmaker, who still traded under the name 'Miss Ellie's'.

One day Gramma got up from her chair on the porch and grabbed Eli, who was just going in for a well earned cup of coffee.

"Come with me, young man."

She led him into what was still known as 'The Williams Wing'. The table in the living room was entirely covered with a huge blanket. And not just any blanket. It was a woven and sewn picture of the ranch in its setting against the hills. It was evening and the moon was just coming up. The sky was full of stars and every star was heart-shaped. In the doorway of the house stood a man and a woman, their arms around each other, watching as five children played in the yard.

"Here you are, Elijah." Gramma rolled up the love-rug and deposited it in his arms. "Now all you have to do is claim her!"

Eli bent his head instinctively and rubbed his cheek against the soft material. There was the very faintest tang of violets and oregano. He smiled his thanks, too overwhelmed to speak. Gramma nodded and shooed him out of the house. She had another rug still to finish!

# # # # #

Not long after this, Eli and Jay managed to send the household for a day out in Laramie and go fishing in peace. This was not a far-flung or very strenuous expedition. The lake on Sherman land would provide more than enough trout to feed the hungry mouths when everyone returned. Having successfully caught plenty in the morning and eaten a substantial midday meal, accompanied by a little home-made cider, the two young men lay back against a convenient log and tipped their hats over their eyes.

"We ought to have brought some paint," Jay remarked, ever the handyman.

Eli gave a non-committal grunt, followed by a teasing inquiry: "What are you trying to improve now?"

"That 'No Trespassing' board," Jay told him promptly. "You can hardly read the writing and I know from personal experience how important it is to you."

"Ass!" Eli swung a lazy punch at him, which was instantly parried. "I'm glad to see your fighting skills are still up to scratch."

"Yeah, they need to be if I'm going to call you out."

"Call me out?" Eli sat up in surprise. "What would make you want to call me out?"

Jay sat up too, suddenly serious. "My sister."

"Your -?"

"Do I have to ask you, sir, not to trifle with her affections?" It was obvious Jay's seriousness was only partly play-acting. "Are your intentions towards her honorable?"

Eli grinned and told his friend, "That's funny – I was just about ask you the same questions!"

"You were?"

"Yeah."

"Well I got mine in first, so I demand an answer right now. After all, you've got the love-rug and I haven't."

"I think yours is definitely not far behind."

"It is? Then I guess we're both in this equally."

"We are. We always are, my friend! Now, do I have your consent? You should know you have mine!"

"No one I'd rather give it to, brother!"

"I'll not let you both down. And we'll really officially be brothers!"

"Hell, yeah!" Then Jay ducked his head shyly. "If you think she'll have me?"

"I'm as sure of Mouse's answer as you are Caitlin will say yes."

"That's a hell-yes, then!"

With this pronouncement they shook hands solemnly, packed up their catch and mounted their horses to head for home without any further discussion. Both their minds were conclusively made up.

They followed a trail downhill and consequently rejoined the main road close to the junction with the Baxter's Ridge road. Jay was always on the lookout for anything which could possibly be made use of and today was no exception.

"Hang on a minute!"

He slid off his mount and dropped the reins, disappearing rapidly into the undergrowth which overhung a little hollow at the side of the road. Eli watched him with amusement, wondering what Jay's sharp eyes had spotted now.

"It's a bike!"

The words rang out triumphantly but sent a bolt of painful recollection through Eli. He bit his lip as his friend dragged the machine out of its resting place with no little difficulty.

"Must have hit something hard," Jay commented as he tried to spin the front wheel. "An animal, I guess – there's long hairs caught in the spokes. And I wonder why they didn't take the suitcase with them."

Eli was staring silently.

"What's up?" Jay asked in concern.

"Open the suitcase," Eli requested hoarsely.

"Ok."

The locks were rusty and broke easily. Jay lifted the lid. His eyebrows quirked and he said in surprise, "It's a damn odd set of things to put in a suitcase."

"What?"

"A bead necklace – looks like Mexican work. A little bronze –"

"Bird. A silver locket. Two tickets for the Titanic. A medicine bottle. A small oilskin parcel. And a gun."

"Yeah. You're right!" Jay sounded amazed. "How d'you know?"

"You remember the first night. When I accused you of stealing?"

"Hell, yeah. But you trusted me all the same."

"This bike belonged to someone I shouldn't have trusted. Do me a favor, will you, Jay? Give me the things and throw the bike and the suitcase back where you found them. Please."

A little while later they reached home where a tired but very happy family was waiting for them. There was even more happiness when Eli restored the family treasures to their proper resting place in the chimney breast.

Mouse was giving Jay one of her huge hugs, partly because he had found and retrieved the precious items and partly, as he would have said, for the sheer hell of it! When the pair finally released each other, Mouse stepped back, looking suddenly thoughtful.

"You know," she said to Eli, "I think when Sire was keeping Mrs. B penned up in the house, he was trying to prevent her leaving with our treasures."

"A psychic llama?" Jay teased. "I've heard it all now!"

"Why not, when we have a psychic treasure finder in the family?" she laughed in return. "But in this case, I'd say it was a loyal llama prompted by a wise spirit. Don't you agree, Eli?"

"Sure. It's just the sort of thing Jess would do. He wouldn't let anyone get away with stealing his gun!"

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Notes:

Sherman Family Tree in this chapter and for chapter 10

Matthew m. Mary

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Mike Williams m. Rayen ... Slim m. Holly -+- Andy m. Celestine

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(Mike's children) = Lance ... Nathaniel m. Sarah -+- Matthew -+- Mary -+- Little ones

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Elijah m. Caitlin -+-Joseph -+- Rebecca m. Lance Williams -+- Rachel (Mouse) m. Jay-+- Aaron

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Conall m. Mary (Eli & Caitlin's son) -+- Rory and Ryan (Caitlin's sons) -+- Thomas & Lucy (Rebecca & Lance's children)

... (Mouse & Jay's children)

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Raphael -+- Gabriel -+- Michael (Conall & Mary's sons)

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Federal law in Wyoming still allows burial on private land under certain conditions, so I have assumed the same law applied in 1933.

Although electricity and gas were available in towns at the time, it seems reasonable that homes outside the urban areas would still be using older methods of heating and lighting.

Other details from Wyoming State Historical Society website.

'They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles.' Isaiah 40:31